


Beyond the gates of Naporia

by Itsuey



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-03-21 00:26:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13729233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itsuey/pseuds/Itsuey
Summary: On the sails of an ominously huge, black ship, Daniel's destiny had arrived - two weeks ahead of schedule and at the wrong port, and if his destiny wasn't playing by the rules, then nor was he.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this for NaNo last year, didn't get very far with it but I'm hoping that if I put the first couple of chapters up then I might eventually finish it. As yet, I have no idea where it's going so things might change, timelines might come adrift a little way down the line, and I may post once a week or once every 7 years, who can tell.

The sun was rising slowly over the port, the sea shimmering quietly in the early winter breeze, gulls wheeling overhead, waiting patiently for the first fishing vessels of the morning to return with their breakfast and already there was disaster afoot.

“Stop! Stop!” An official looking man was hurtling down the wooden pier as fast as his feet would take him, boots undone, shirt only half buttoned and hat in his hand as he had pelted from his bunk in a state of panic at the sight of the enormous steam-powered vessel heading straight towards one of the treacherous sand bars, currently hiding a mere two feet below the surface of the deceptively tranquil water. For a second it looked as though the ship either hadn't seen him, or had chosen to ignore him but there was a sudden flurry of activity aboard and the anchors were thrown hastily from the rear, narrowly missing a small finishing vessel which had taken the opportunity to slip around the back and save himself some time, and the huge ship slowly ground to a screeching, grinding halt, accompanied by a cloud of thick black smoke.

It came to rest just beside the first sand bar and he breathed a sigh of relief, only now realising his state of half dress and hurriedly corrected himself, somewhat aware of the stubble adorning his chin but his unexpected guest would just have to put up with it for now.

A rowing boat was being prepared for him to go out and greet the captain, although he apparently had a different idea of the protocol in these circumstances and had taken it upon himself to come ashore to see what exactly was happening. The small vessel was made of a dark, shiny wood, much like the ship it had come from, something he had only seen a handful of times and always on the hulls of exotic trading ships from the far south and only ever in summer.

“Sir?”

Sam, he thought the young boy's name was, the unfortunate posted first thing in the morning with him. He wasn't sure if this was because he was happy to do the morning shifts, or because he was one of the youngest in the port and the 16 year old hadn't yet learned, or dared, to stand up to the older men he worked with. Nevertheless, there were worse people to have to converse with at sunrise.

“Don't say anything, not until we know who they are and what they want.”

“Sir, she's flying the Del'ark royal crest,” he whispered as loudly as he dared as the small boat came ever closer.

“What?”

“On the side of the bow, that's the Del'ark royal crest. I think this is the Dauntless.”

“Dauntless?” He kept his eye on the vessel as it reached the pier and the captain made to clamber out. “She was supposed to dock at Zeffan next week.”

“Yes sir. Your hat sir.”

It was indeed still clutched tightly in his hand and he jammed it on his head as the dark-skinned, incredibly tall, man marched towards them, glad that he had Sam to uphold the standards of the dress code for him.

“What is the meaning of this? Do you not know who this ship belongs to?” He boomed across the short distance between them.

“Captain James, pleased to meet you.” He held his hand out and when the stranger seemed disinclined to take it, he dropped it back to his side with an awkward cough. “Are we correct in assuming you are the Dauntless?”

“We are.”

“Then you will excuse my surprise as you are due to dock in the port of Zeffan next week if I am not mistaken?”

“You are not. However, we did not see the reason for such a diversion when you have a perfectly serviceable port yourselves,” he lowered his voice a few decibels and leaned in slightly. “And as this visit has potential political gains for both of our kingdoms, it seemed a bit of an insult to direct us to your neighbours, even if there is a peace treaty in place.”

“It was not meant as an insult, purely as a practicality; the estuary here is full of sand bars and reefs that make is unsuitable as a docking point for ships as large, and deep-hulled as yourselves.”

“Well, we are here now,” he straightened up. “I am sure we can come to some sort of arrangement.”

“There is a deep-water bay around the other side of Snake's Head island, it will be a close squeeze but it could be a viable alternative,” he gestured to the small island to the east of the port.

“Very well, you will send as escort within the hour.”

He opened his mouth to reply but the un-named captain seemed to have intended it as an order rather than a question and was already lowering himself back down into his small boat, ordering it be pushed away from the pier before he was even seated.

“Sam.”

“Sir?”

“I need you to get to the palace as fast as possible and tell them what's happened. If they need you for any errands there I am releasing you from your port duties for the rest of the day as I don't imagine they will be expecting their visitors almost two weeks early.”

“Yes sir.”

“Sam,” he called after the eager boy as he ran towards the shore. “Take my horse, she'll get you there faster than the ones you'll get from the public stables.”

“Yes sir!”

He watched for a minute until the young boy had disappeared from view around the side of the barracks and turned back to look at the dark-hulled ship casting a shadow over the morning fishing vessels returning for breakfast and sighed. Today wasn't looking like it was going to be a good day. And his shirt was inside-out.


	2. Chapter 2

Three hours hard ride west of the port, the town of Lanacry was stirring. Merchants were throwing open their doors, the scent of freshly baked bread was snaking its way through the ancient cobbled streets and the general noise level was rising steadily as the people of the capital started to go about their business.

In the centre of it all, huge stone walls encircled what was once the old city, and now contained the innermost houses of the rich merchants and powerful political allies, inns and shops specialising in goods from exotic nations most of the population of Naporia would never hope to visit and where all livestock was strictly banned. Which made the sight of a small black and white sheep trotting through the streets an unusual one, but the guard chasing it even more rare.

Oblivious to the giggles of the nobles as they threw open the shutters to greet the chilly morning, in the north tower of the castle, Daniel was still fast asleep, his own shutters being opened to let in the morning sunlight.

“Good morning Daniel.”

“Morning,” he groaned out as the light settled across his face, and pulled the sheets up over his head, avoiding looking at his handmaid. 

“You don't have time for that this morning, your father has requested your presence in the throne room after breakfast.” She paused for a second to see if it had any effect. “Which will be served in 5 minutes.”

Ten minutes later, Daniel was dressed and creeping into the dining hall as quietly as he could, leaving Catherine tutting and clearing away his bed clothes which he had thrown in the general direction of the laundry basket, and as usual missed.

“You never did have any concept of time did you?”

“Morning mum,” he slid into the seat opposite her and accepted a plate of meat and fried eggs from the servant behind him.

“Perhaps we should forego your sword training for time awareness training instead.” She smiled at him over the top of the papers she was holding and scolded him for talking with his mouth full when he asked if she was reading anything interesting.

“It's just the reports from around the kingdom. Nothing to worry about really, just a small skirmish over land rights on the southern border, heavy snow-fall over the Pripin mountains, things like that. If there's ever anything actually important a messenger will appear, anything of little significance to the day-to-day running of the kingdom ends up in these.” She drained the last of her tea and glanced at the clock.

“Although, some of the small-scale disagreements around Lanacry do quite often end up being brought to the castle. Which is what I believe your father is expecting you to help with this morning.”

“What? I thought it was actually something interesting.”

“It's not always sword fights and slaying dragons Daniel, you will have a responsibility to your people that they will expect you to uphold, you can't just ignore them because you think their problems are boring. You are only ever as strong as the people around you and if they can't trust you to help them in their time of need, they will never come to you in your's.” She rose from the table and a servant pulled her seat away from her.

“Just remember that.”

**

Unfortunately, as he had predicted, dealing with the people's predicaments was boring. So far he had observed a squabble between two neighbouring farmers, one of whom was accusing the other of stealing his hay in the middle of the night as his own crop hadn't been as successful, a man had come for advice on his daughter who didn't want to marry the nobleman he'd arranged for her, and a complaint had been made about the state of the road to the port and how riders were often riding through fields because it was so badly marked. The only actually interesting case which had been presented during the morning had been a man who accused a merchant of selling him rocks instead of grains and he had been quite surprised when the evidence had been brought and the merchant had been told in no uncertain terms, that if he was caught doing it again his hand would be removed.

“Well that was a bit barbaric,” he said as lunch was served.

“Maybe so, but he won't do it again.”

“But why not just fine him? Make him pay the man he scammed 200 marks?”

His father chewed the piece of pork he had just put in his mouth slowly before he answered.

“How much money do you think that man has? 1,000 marks? 10,000 marks? The nobles and merchants have far more money than the crown, we are entirely dependent upon them financially and to most of them, 200 marks is barely anything. If we let him get away with a fine, it will encourage some of the others to try it and we'll be back where we were 30 years ago with citizens being killed by bread because the merchants were adulterating the flour for profit.

There are some places you can be lenient, but there are others where you have to have a hard, and sometimes harsh, stance.”

Silence reigned for a few minutes until a servant came and whispered in his mother's ear and she got up to follow him, assuring them it was just a messenger, she would be back in a moment. Only she wasn't.

They had finished the main course, cheese and coffee were being served and she still hadn't returned. The king had made the decision that his wife's main plate should be taken away and if she returned she should have the cheese, but if not the kitchen staff were always happy to make a quick snack for anyone if it was required. Neither of them were letting on that they were worried, that just wasn't done, but it was a suspiciously long time for the queen to be summoned for a messenger, anything of immediate importance was usually presented before the king, the queen was usually only sent messengers when it regarded royal visits and unexpected arrivals or-

“They're early,” the king muttered into his coffee.

“Sorry?”

“It's nothing to worry about, a visitor we were expecting next week has obviously arrived early, nothing serious.”

“Really? We're having visitors?”

“Yes, the king and queen of Del'ark and their-”

“Daughter?”

His father lowered his coffee cup slightly to glower at him over the top of it.

“Their daughter Devyn will of course be with them, as will their son David. They are both of similar age to you and I am sure you will get along with both of them.”

He knew from experience that was not a suggestion but an order and asked to be excused. The king nodded somewhat distractedly in his direction, already wondering what help he could provide to the preparations.

Ten minutes later he was in one of the smaller courtyards, wooden sword in hand as he sparred with one of the younger nobles he had come to know very well as he grew up. For once he seemed to have the upper hand and was backing Terren into a corner with such ferocity the man was starting to look a little concerned and called and end to the fight.

“Whatever's wrong, I'd prefer you not try and kill me over it,” he flashed him a small smile, hoping it would elicit some sort of positive reaction.

Daniel snorted out a laugh and threw the practice sword at a straw dummy, wandering over to one of the stone flower beds around the area and perching himself on the edge of it.

“They've found me yet another prospective wife.”

Terren sat down next to him and waited for the inevitable outburst of anger that usually followed these announcements.

“I don't even know anything about this one, I've never met her, I'm not even sure I could find Delmark on a map-”

“Del'ark.”

“Delmark, Del'ark, what does it matter? I'm so fed up with them doing this, I'm not 25 yet, I don't have to be married until I'm set to take the throne and I don't see my parents dying that soon so really, couldn't they leave me alone for just a few years? They've been at this since I was 17!”

“I'm quite surprised they'd try and offer you Devyn of Del'ark, she has rather a reputation and the political gains for Naporia are very few, they're too far away to be of any use in a war.”

Daniel looked up at his friend in trepidation. “What sort of reputation?”

“Oh nothing like that, no, just, she's rumored to be a little, well, spoiled, that she takes everything for granted and if something isn't perfect she'll throw a tantrum until it is. She's apparently stunning and has had men falling over each other ever since she turned 16, her brother apparently follows her everywhere fighting them off with a stick. Although the rumor I heard was that he needn't bother, she isn't interested in any of them.”

“Sounds a bit like me,” he laughed softly.

“There you go,” Terren laughed. “Match made in heaven, I'd better get myself a wedding outfit done before Larkin starts taking booking from everyone else in town.”

Daniel glowered at him. “Pity no one needed a royal display at any of the really really far away towns. Or even in the next kingdom, that would have been nice, I could have accidentally strayed over a border and got myself kidnapped.”

The othe boy snorted, “I'm sure she's not that bad, and even if she is, at least you'll have her brother to talk to.”

“Pity I can't marry him, we've probably got more in common.”

“Give it a few years, the northern territories might manage to filter their ideologies down to us.”

Daniel stared up in shock. “You've been to the northern territories?”

“Once, when I was much younger. One of our ships went a bit astray in a storm, my dad was sent to rescue it and appease the locals. They really weren't happy, the ship had struck a sacred shrine of theirs and they were planning on sacrificing the captain and using his blood to draw back the seal spirits.”

“What?”

“I've no idea either. Dad traded them a hundred bags of flour and salted meats so that they would have food until the spirits returned and drew the seals back in with them.”

Daniel shook his head. “Lunatics, the lot of them.”

“Hey now, that's not a very kingly attitude to have. You have to be seen to appreciate and encourage the cultures of other countries and kingdoms.”

“I really don't see us striking up a friendship or a trade deal with the northern territories. I mean what are they going to offer to trade? Seal meat and ice? I'll stick to pork thanks.”

Terren laughed and patted him on the shoulder as a man appeared in the doorway to the courtyard. “If all else fails, there's a dragon in Whiteridge I'm sure would be happy to burn you to a crisp if you ask nicely. No princess will want you then.”

He turned and strode across the path to meet the other man. “Andreas, what can I do for you?”

“Terren. You have a problem with one of your tenants.”

“It wouldn't happen to be the one down by the river would it?”

“No, are you having problems with him too?”

Their conversation drifted away and Daniel found himself staring blankly in to a plant pot. The dragon certainly had appeal.


	3. Chapter 3

Aboard the Dauntless, many miles away from Daniel, and yet not nearly enough, Devyn was watching the tiny town of Penneth outside which they were docked, waiting for an escort to yet another port because apparently this one wasn't suitable for them. 

She crossed her arms in annoyance and leaned back against the stern, turned away from David who had come to lay on the deck next to her and watch the sea birds overhead. 

“I don't need a husband.”

“I never said you did.”

“Certainly not from a place like this, I mean look at it, they can't even organise a town properly,” she waved an arm in the direction of the town and he watched it pass as the ship bobbed from side to side on the outgoing tide.

Admittedly she may have had a point. He'd had a look at the maps on the way there, and the town of Penneth was a confused mess; the old town walls which were supposedly over 800 years old were full to the brim with tiny winding roads, small houses to massive mansions, there wasn't even space inside the walls for the barracks which sat outside by the east gate and reached as far as the road for the docks. The only real remaining evidence of it being a millitary installment was the battery at the far end of the harbour; everything between it and their ship was a collection of small brightly coloured houses which stood out brilliantly against the sombre grey sky.

“Where do you think they got the pigments from?” He wondered out loud but didn't get an answer from his sister who clearly was only fixated on how this somewhat higgledy piggledy town was a reflection upon the character of her potential future husband. Who was born approximately 600 years after the peace treaty which had seen the walls breached.

Down on the docks the flurry of activity had reached the water's edge and he hoisted himself up on the side of the ship to watch a small wooden fishing vessel's sails be dropped and oars threaded through the brass holders under the watchful eye of its ancient owner who seemed not completely impressed with their treatment of his boat. Not that he was surprised, Naporia wasn't a spectacularly rich kingdom, the boat was probably the source of income for his entire family. Now he thought about it, Naporia didn't have much in the way of resources at all; they had some fertile land, but not as much as they had at home, a few mineral and precious metal, but most of their money had to come from the trade route to the south. Their envoy at the palace had told them what to expect from the area, including the state of affairs of the neighbouring countries, and Astane had been flagged as off limits to everyone, so presumably the only route to the south for a lot of the northern countries was through Naporia.

Unbeknownst to him, Daniel would have met David's eyes had they been close enough as he stared out towards the sea from the top of the castle walls, not really seeing the houses or the walls, or the fields beyond. Somewhere out there he knew the latest in a long line of his potential wives was approaching and he didn't see a way out of this one. 

It was one thing for kings and politicians to bring their daughters to court to try and catch his attention, he had even got used to his parents springing them on him, but to bring the princess of Del'ark, that was something else. He'd gone to the library as soon as he'd been releaved of his duties and pulled out the massive map of the world; true to his word he hadn't been able to find the kingdom easily, but it had been there, so much further south that anywhere he'd ever been he was suddenly scared how seriously his parents must want this treaty.

The thought of going to fight the dragon in Whiteridge kept circling around and around in his head, and even with the extra time he'd gained while they waited for the Dauntless to be safely docked at Snake's Head island, he hadn't managed to think of an alternative. 

The sun was sitting low in the sky behind him, just kissing the peaks of the snow-capped mountain border between Naporia and Hullbeck. It would be easy to sneak out of the city; the evenings were usually so busy as merchants and traders fought to make one more sale to the returning hoardes that no one would notice him, not unless he walked straight down the main streets. 

He wandered across the ramparts, peering down the side of the castle. Somewhere down there in the shadows was a small, overgrown path that he'd found as a child. His mother had told him it had been used by messangers when the castle had been watched by enemies as it couldn't be seen from anywhere other than the top of the fortifications. 

The tallest of the mountains just pierced the glowing orange orb. By now the Dauntless was probably almost docked at Snake's Head island. If they set off tomorrow morning, they would be at the castle by the afternoon, just in time for an elaborate feast carefully choreographed to be ready the moment they walked through the doors. And then a ridiculously long evening of cocktails and coffees and tiny finger foods that took the kitchen days to make and that no one really wanted to eat having consumed a four course dinner a few hours beforehand. 

A slight breeze in the air made him shiver slightly. The sun had been so bright today that he'd almost forgotten winter was creeping up on them. The fields around the castle were mostly empty of all but a few of the hardiest crops, the remainder sporadically populated with sheep and cattle grazing down the stubs of the grains and the tops of root vegetables. 

Pretty soon the snow dusting the tops of the Pripin mountains would descend both sides and coat the landscape in a blanket of white. Livestock would be rounded up and herded in to barns until the ground was clear again, the farmers would turn to the forests for the season, providing firewood for everyone in town and the power mill outside the walls. 

Winter was his least favourite season; it was dark and cold, the electric lamps were always on and they flickered creepily as the power surged along the lines, casting shadows in to corners and making him jump. He rarely left the castle, most of the townsfolk prefered to come to them there, the atrium usually being invitingly warm. No one came to the town, and no one left the immediate area around it. Being so close to the mountains the roads were often impassable and the only maintained route remained the coastal trade path to the east. 

No one left. He was going to be stuck with Devyn of Del'ark for a whole season.


	4. Chapter 4

Two hours later, as the sun dipped completely below the mountains, Daniel slipped out the back of the castle. He'd raided the linen closet for his winter gear, had a warm bath, presuming it was going to be the last one he had for a while, and told his parents he was going to bed with a headache, accepting the bottle of painkiller offered by the cook. Sneaking out had been almost laughably easy, and even given the incredibly overgrown nature of the path, he made it to the back gate with only a few scratches. 

The gate was locked.

“What?” He hissed under his breath as he shook it again. Naporians were renowned for their excellent metalwork, but a several hundred year old gate with no regular use or maintenance should not still be standing.

“Dammit,” he kicked it a bit harder than he intended and cursed again, pausing to see if anyone had heard the clang it made. When noone came running, he breathed out hard and wandered back towards the castle, he was going to have to go around the side and risk running in to one of the hundreds of guards they seemed to have suddenly aquired from nowhere. He somewhat suspected their usual guard James had been sent in to the city and the surrounding villages to recruit as many people as could be spared, as a result he doubted they were going to be very observant, but he still flattened himself under a hedge when one walked above him on the ramparts. 

 

After what seemed like a ridiculously long time, but what was in reality probably only an hour, the Dauntless docked in Snake's Head Bay. The ancient sailor was re-rigging his fishing boat whilst shouting at the port worker who had comandeered his boat. David was almost expecting him to push the unfortuate man overboard in his anger at losing almost a whole day's fishing.

“Is this why we were supposed to go further up the coast?”

He looked up to see Devyn had finally stopped sulking below decks and come to join him watching the sun disappear behind the sillhouette of the mountains in the distance. The salty breeze was cooling quickly as the first stars started to come out and he shivered slightly as it swept across his exposed arms.

“Here.”

He turned to see Devyn handing him one of the blankets from their bunks and took it thankfully, throwing it around himself and settling on the box she pushed up against the side of the ship. 

“We were supposed to dock in Hullbeck, Zeffan I think the port is called, it's much deeper and there are no sand bars so it would have been more suitable for the Dauntless as she's so deep hulled.”

“So why didn't we go there?”

David laughed. “Probably because dad's really bad at taking orders. You remember the time he was told not to go in to that tomb without an escort and he got bitten by a snake?”

Devyn snorted out a laugh. “I remember that. Mum was so angry at him, I thought that medic was going hit him.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching as a servant wandered around the deck, lighting the paraffin lamps which flickered happily in their glass and brass cages. The sun settled completely behind the mountains and the world was plunged in to darkness around them, the sky fading from the orange glow in the distance, through a whole range of blues and greens until it reached the inky black above them. 

“What do you think he's like?”

“Hm?”

“The prince.”

“Well, statistically, rude, stuck up, arrogant, about 50-”

Devyn laughed over him, trying to compose herself so she could speak; “Or- or, you remember that Kaprucan prince? The pretty one?”

“Yes! He was prettier than you!”

“Hey!” She half-heartedly punched him but laughed. “He was so un-interested in me he couldn't even pretend! He spent the whole time looking at you!”

He gave an exadurated shudder. “Too pretty for me! I'm supposed to be the pretty one!”

“Well I hate to tell you this but you're not looking particularly pretty right now.”

He raised an eyebrow, looking his disheveled sister up and down. “I think we could both do with a bath.”

Somewhere in the shadows someone cleared their throat and they both sat up a bit straighter as their mother stepped out of the darkness. 

“I think all of us need a wash,” she said, lighting her own lamp on one of the ones nearby. “But right now, we all need to go to bed. In the morning we'll be visiting the summer palace on the island so we can all look a little more presentable for our hosts and then we will be escorted to Lanacry. We would both very much appreciate it if the pair of you would behave yourselves while we're here.”

David grinned sheepishly.

The queen shook her head with a smile. “You take after your father, I don't know why I ever expect you to behave.”

“At least I haven't been bitten by a snake yet.”

“Don't say things like that David! You have no idea what spirits might be listening and take it as a challenge.”

“Sorry.”

“Hm. Go to bed, both of you, we need to be ready to move at sunrise.”

 

100 miles west, Daniel was ducked down in a corner of the stables, heart racing, breathing shallow as he watched the stable master doing his evening rounds. There was nothing suspicious about him being there, he quite often went to see his horse and give her a brush but having hidden behind a stack of hay bales there was no way he could go and say hello without looking incredibly weird.

He shook his head slightly and tried to settle back in to his cramped hiding hole without his limbs going numb or losing sight of Ferus. Really he should have been expecting the man, every night like clockwork, he would do one last round to check on the horses and make sure they had food and water to last them until morning. On the plus side, if Ferus had seen Pan in her bay then he wouldn't be raising any alarms until sunrise tomorrow and that could only be a good thing.

After what seemed like an eternity, in which his left leg went numb, Daniel pushed himself off the floor, pausing to check he was completely alone, and tiptoed across the freshly swept floor to his horse. 

She turned in her bay, braying softly in greeting and butted her nose in to his outstretched hand.

“Hey girl, want to go for a run?” She stared at him.

“Good girl,” he grabbed a set of plain leather reins off the wall behind them and she reared huffed at him in displeasure. “Sorry, your stuff's too obviously expensive, we're going to have to borrow some kit.” 

“Good evening Daniel.”

He jumped several foot in the air, reigns still clutched in his hand as he spun around to stare at the returning man.

“I am sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.”

“It's fine, don't worry.”

“I didn't realise anyone was still in here. It's a bit late to be going for a ride.”

He grinned in what he hoped was a convincing manner. “I'm a bit wound up with everything that's been happening today, I had too much energy to sleep so I thought I'd go for a quick run before it got completely dark.”

Ferus nodded. “I'm not surprised, we've all heard what's happening at the palace.” He took the reigns out of Daniel's hands and returned them to their peg on the wall and opened one of the trunks in the corner.

“I had a bit of a tidy up the other day, I'm afraid I moved all of your kit at the same time. Here.” He handed Daniel his reigns and went to saddle up Pan who was tossing her head in confusion.

Daniel blinked several times before his brain caught up with what was happening and he hastily reigned his horse, assuring Ferus that he needn't wait up for him, that he'd be sure to brush her and water her when he got back. 

Ferus nodded and bade him goodnight and Daniel almost cried in relief. If his parents caught him now he would be in so much trouble. He wasn't waiting around and mounted Pan, taking a quick trot out of the stables just in case Ferus had decided to tell a guard what he was up to and thought he should be escorted.

The moment he was out of sight of the stables he took a sharp turn on to one of the smaller paths, pulling his hood up over his head to try and disguise his face and just hoping that his horse didn't give him away. Although it seemed he needn't have worried; this far from the castle, there didn't seem to be any guards wandering the streets, the only people he saw were a few innkeepers closing up for the night and a handful of prostitutes who looked up in anticipation as he approached but lost interest when they realised he wasn't going to request their services.

The guards at the city gate didn't even blink as he passed through but here he wasn't alone; there were far more people still moving around outside the city walls. This far from the castle it was almost as if he were in a different country; within the inner walls it was completely silent, within the city walls almost as quiet, but out here there was less organisation, less regimentation to the streets, dirt paths crossed paved roads, a mixture of parafin lamps, candles and the occasional electric light from an inn created a warming glow and there were still a few children running up and down the road, ignoring calls for them to go to bed. 

A small boy darted between Pan's legs, avoiding the outstretched arm of his brother and used them as cover as they both ran around them in circles staying out of each other's reach.

“Daniel!”

He looked around in shock.

“Caspian! Come here immediately!”

The boys' mother came marching towards him and grabbed both children by the arm before she turned to Daniel. “I'm very sorry, I hope they didn't startle your horse.”

He shook his head, “don't worry, she's fine, quite used to children. Have a nice evening.”

“And you.”

He turned away and heard her hissing at her sons that it was the fifth time that week she had told them not to play in the street. 

Pan walked obediently down the street, weaving around low canopies and tables creeping ever further away from their inns, she stopped once when faced with a drunk man rolling around in the street before his only slightly less inebriated friends pulled him back out of the way. 

Unlike the walled city, the outer town didn't have an edge to stop it fraying, it simply fizzled out, the houses becoming further from each other and larger as he trotted out in to the dark farm land. It was completely dark by the time he left behind the last paraffin lit house and they stood still for a few minutes as the moon rose and their eyes became accustomed to the lower light levels.

“Sure am glad there's a moon tonight girl.”

It was a good two hours later that they reached Wolfburn, the moon was high in the sky and the orange glow around the base of the mountains had completely vanished. 

It was a very different place in the dark, previously he had only seen it during the day, and usually than in summer on trips around the kingdom. Wolfburn was a prosperous town, the trading front of the nearby mine which provided both Wolfburn and Lanacry with the coal for the power mills and was often a secondary stop for traders leaving the capital with wares still to sell. 

In the centre of the quiet town was a large exposed-frame inn which had been extended so many times it was a curiously lop-sided building with rooms out over the stables and a friendly covered board walk around the front, on which the owner was perched on a rocking chair, a mug of ale in one hand and a pipe in the other. 

“Good evening prince Daniel, what brings you here so late in the day?”

Daniel shook his head, he'd never know how the elderly lady always knew it was him. For years as a child he'd try on different disguises to see if he could fool her when he tried to sneak out without his parents, but he never managed.

“Evening Clara,” he jumped down from Pan's saddle and walked the rest of the way to the small flight of stairs. “Incredibly boring official business I'm afraid.”

“Ah, official business,” she turned her pipe upside down over the side of her chair and tapped it on the arm, knocking the ashes on to the boards. “No one ever wants to come and visit an old woman.” She pushed herself out of the chair and shouted for the stable boy.

“Come on in dear, have you eaten?”

“I had a good dinner before I left, but I wouldn't say no to some ale.”

“Nathaniel!” When the stable boy still didn't appear she took Pan's reigns herself, chivying her towards the stables. “How about a pretzle? You've always loved a pretzle.”

“And I always will.”

Clara kicked the sleeping boy awake and handed him Pan's reigns. “Now you look after this horse properly, make sure she gets a wash, poor girl's filthy

And you,” she turned to Daniel. “You're almost as dirty as your poor horse, I'll get my daughter, you remember Meghan of course, to run you a bath.”

He flushed slightly, he remembered Meghan very well. 

She grabbed his sleeve and dragged him towards the front door; she was probably right, his poor horse was now more brown than black and white and he didn't imagine he was looking that much better after he'd fallen in a puddle when she'd stumbled on a hole in the road much larger than they had originally thought.

“And I'll bring you some ale and warm pretzles and we'll have you in bed before you know it.”


	5. Chapter 5

The early morning light filtering through the shutters woke him slowly and he rolled over, pressing his face in to the cool pillow on the other side of the bed. He'd had the most stressful dream of running across the farmland in the dark, avoiding holes in the path by moonlight. 

The familiar sounds of a city waking were filtering in to his brain; traders setting up shop, townsfolk kissing their partners goodbye on their way to work, horses braying quietly in the stables.

The stables were nowhere near the castle.

He opened his eyes and the room came slowly in to focus around him. Of course, he was in Wolfburn, he really had taken a late night run across the dark fields. Panic started to well up inside him; maybe it had been a slightly hasty decision, maybe he should have just stayed and waited to see what she was like, maybe she wouldn't have been so bad. 

Or he would be marrying her at the spring equinox.

He pushed back the duvet and stood up, stretching, his muscles very greatful for the warm bath he had before bed as his back twinged slightly. Clara, or perhaps Meghan, had laundered his clothes last night and left them for him on a chair by the door. He caught the familiar scent of lavender as he pulled his shirt over his head, lavender to keep away insects and bad spirits as Clara had been telling him for as long as he could remember. There was probably even a piece of lavender in his trouser pocket. He pulled one out with a grin.

Clara had breakfast ready for him by the time he made his way down to the bar; dried meats and cheese and warm toast with coffee, “there you go dear, hot bean water,” and an earful of advice;

“Now you're going to be careful out there aren't you? You're very young to be sent on official business by yourself.”

“I'm 23.”

“Practically a baby. I remember you when you were a baby you know.”

“I know.”

“You used to call me aunt when you were two.”

He grinned in to his coffee and let her carry on as she wished. His mother had declared it inappropriate to be calling an innkeeper aunt, especially when there was no familial connection at all. 

Eventually, however, there was no coffee left, his breakfast was all finished, he'd accepted the obligatory package of food for his journey and a blanket for Pan which a merchant had left behind several seasons ago, and he was giving her a hug goodbye.

“How much do I owe you Clara?”

“Oh pish, you don't owe me anything dear.”

“Really, I'm happy to pay you.”

“You can pay me by coming to see me again soon! Go on now, you catch the sun before it rises completely and you've lost half the day.”

She pressed another pack in to his hands as he went out the door, a loaf of bread still warm from the bakery down the road, and waved until he was out of sight. 

He certainly wasn't as subtle as his mother; she left the money in her room, or slipped it in to her apron pocket as they parted ways. Daniel had slid it under the counter as he leaned over it to grab some more toast, although she maybe wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't caught him in the act and told him to ask if he wanted more toast. 

And by the feel of it he really had no idea how much he was supposed to pay for a night in an inn either. She shook her head with a grin and she opened the parchment with 'Aunt' written on it in his cursive handwriting. Sure enough, he'd paid about three times what she would have charged him, she'd have to make sure his mother knew not to pay her for the next couple of times. Not that she'd listen.

 

Daniel had made it as far as the market before he paused to ask a passing man what the mountains were like.

“They're pretty bad your highness, the snow's come early this year. Do you mind my asking where you're going to?”

“Hullbeck.”

“The mountain pass would be the fastest but I fear it would be impassible by the time you made it to the other side. I'd head for Peltragow and take the trade road up to Hullbeck, it would be easier on your horse too.”

“Didn't think that cloud looked too promising,” he gestured to the grey mass slowly swallowing the peak of the nearest mountain.

“That's coming fast your highness, winter's getting her claws in early and she's not going to be kind. I hope your business doesn't take you too long cause it's not going to be pretty here soon.”

He thanked the man and shook his hand, pressing a coin in to his palm for his time and mounted Pan once more, ambling his way slowly to the gates where he paused to allow Pan to drink as much as she needed from the trough just outside the walls. 

That had been a bad idea; he shouldn't have spoken to anyone. Wolfburn was the closest town to Lanacry and the first place his parents would be dispatching people to look for him, but if they spoke to anyone, they'd be directed to Peltragow. Which left the mountain pass. Or Pinella.

He'd never set foot in Pinella, it was still within the borders of Naporia, but it was the most remote post they had. On the other side of the watershed, devoid of rain for most of the year, right on the edge of Astane sat the tiny, half abandoned, town of Pinella, and the Pinella pass, the only way out of the east of Naporia. 

“What do you think girl?” He muttered to Pan, “being chased and almost certainly captured, or possibly meeting a bandit? Although by the time my parents catch up with me, I think I might rather be kidnapped by a bandit.”

Pan lifted her head out of the trough and stared at him.

“Or we could return home and pretend that we went out really early in the morning for a ride? And meet Devyn of Del'ark. I mean she can't be that bad can she?”

Pan shook a fly away from her mane.

“Can she?”

After what felt like an eternity staring out in to space, he made up his mind, swung himself up on to Pan and started back towards the city.

Devyn felt a hundred times better after her bath. The oils they'd brought from home to add to the water had made her almost feel like she was there again, especially as she stood on the cold tile floor, her servants dressing her in brightly coloured fabrics and doing her makeup without the strange movement of a ship making it uneven for the first time in weeks. 

She lifted her feet to allow a servant to put her winter boots on and skipped across the room to poke her head around the doorframe to see whether her brother was ready.

“Hey David, you're no longer a fright to look at!”

David stuck his tongue out but didn't open his eyes, slightly worried his own servant may poke him in the eye with the eyeliner brush. He certainly felt much better, the bath water had been grey by the time he got out of it, so he imagined he looked better too.

“You're done,” his servant stepped back and appraised his look, nodding.

“And you look like you again,” David grinned, pulling on his own boots. He pulled her to look in the full length mirror at the end of the room.

“We even look like royalty again.”

“I always look like royalty. Even when we've been here for months and I'm almost as pale as the locals, I will still look like a princess,” she joking jerked her head into the air, sniffing in distain.

“Ah, there you are. Preening as usual I see.”

“Mother!”

“Oh hush, are you ready to go? There's a carriage waiting outside.”

Outside, assembled beside the ornate gold-trimmed carriage, was their entire assignment of staff, looking incredibly out of place on the windswept grass. There was even a sheep behind them, grazing quietly, its wool fidgeting slightly in the breeze.

“Can we get camels to tow a carriage?”

“What?”

Devyn gestured to the decorated white horses pawing at the ground. “We could have a carriage pulled by camels!”

David looked at her in concern. “Did you eat something weird for breakfast?”

“No, I just think it would be fun to have a camel carriage.”

“Devyn,” the king frowned at her. “You leave the camels alone. I don't think they've forgiven you for trying to race them.”

“Well you can't really race horses on sand,” she muttered under her breath so only David could hear. 

He snorted and tried to turn it in to a cough when their father turned to look at him, but before he could say anything, the last trunk was loaded on to the back of the carriage and the door opened for them to alight.

 

The roads last night had dislodged one of Pan's shoes and she was limping slightly on the cobbles. Thankfully a passing farmer had stopped to help him.

“I can't put this back on I'm afraid, the metal is bent at the edge, it will cut in to her foot and hurt her further.”

Daniel sighed, “what would you suggest?”

“Take them all off, go over the fields. They really only need shoes to ride on the roads.”

He nodded and held Pan still for the other man to take her shoes off, talking to her softly to keep her from stressing out as a man she'd never met before held on to her feet. 

“Is she shod all year?”

“No, I think Ferus takes their shoes off during winter when they're not out and about.”

The farmer nodded. “Old ways are always the best. You'll need to take it easy when you get back on the road, stay off the cobbles and try to avoid rocks in the fields. Do you mind me asking where you're going?”

Daniel opened his mouth to say Lanacry but it didn't quite come out.

“Ah, a decision to be made,” grinned the farmer. “Is there a girl involved?”

Daniel laughed, “there's always a girl involved.”

“A ladies man eh?”

“Not quite, my parents want me to get married but I don't think I'm ready yet.”

“A gentleman, even better.” He stood up and stretched, refusing Daniel's money. “I'll take the shoes though if you're not needing them.” He hoisted himself up on to his own horse and tapped the edge of his cap with a nod. “Only you know when the time is right boy. Listen to the spirits, they'll tell you what you need to do.”

Daniel watched him walk away for several minutes, long after he had rounded a copse of trees and vanished from view before he finally turned to Pan now paddling in a muddy puddle by the side of the road.

“You know what, maybe this is a sign. Maybe I was doing the right thing.”

Pan continued to splash mud everywhere until Daniel nodded decisively, grabbed her reigns and turned them back the way they had come.

“Come on girl, we're going to Pinella.”

 

The king was starting to worry. His wife had been staring at the papers in her hand, a frown firmly fixed on her face for a good half hour. He had finished his own breakfast, accepted some coffee and so far she had yet to eat a single bite.

“Cass?”

She continued frowning.

“Cass?”

“What?” She slammed the papers down on the table with a thud, upsetting her plate in the process. “Sorry,” she said a bit more softly, picking a piece of ham out of her lap.

“You seem stressed.”

“I am stressed,” she sighed. “the Del'arks will be leaving the island by now, so far we've got about half of the decorations up in the castle, none of the ones in the town, the roads need cleaning, the kitchens are struggling, they haven't got all of the ingredients, I've had to send out a messenger to find some beef that's been hung long enough-”

“Stop, breathe.”

The queen took a deep breath and let it out slowly before taking a sip of her cold coffee. She pulled a face and put it down again.

“Oh, and Daniel seems to have decided it was a good idea to go for a ride this morning.”

“At least he's not under foot complaining.”

“Only you could find a positive in all this,” she smiled, taking another automatic sip of her coffee.

He laughed as she spat it out and handed it to one of the wait staff. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood, “The townsfolk are waiting, you just remember to delegate. You have a huge number of staff around you at the moment, you don't have to deal with every single one of them individually.” He kissed her on the cheek and swept out of the room.

“Jared?”

“Your majesty?”

“Could I have some more coffee please?”

“Certainly.”

She had just taken her first sip of mercifully hot coffee when the diningroom door opened and one of the new door guards stepped inside.

“Your majesty, stablemaster Ferus to see you.”

“Ferus? Send him in.”

The guard nodded and stepped to the side to allow the other man through.

“Ferus, how are you?”

“I have been better your majesty.”

“Coffee?”

“Sorry, no, I'm a little run off my feet this morning. Your assistants have volunteered me to help clean the streets around the castle.”

“I would say I'm sorry but I wouldn't mean it.”

He grinned. “I wouldn't believe it even if you did say it.” His face fell slightly, “your majesty I'm not sure how to say this but I'm going to come straight out and say it; prince Daniel appears to have gone missing.”

“Oh Ferus, don't worry about it, he went out early this morning.”

“Your majesty, he went out last night.”

“Last night?”

“Yes. I saw him yesterday as I was closing up for the night, he said he was going for a run to calm himself down before bed, I didn't think anything of it until I went in this morning and Pan was still missing.”

The queen put her coffee down slightly harder than she intended. “He told me he had a headache and went to bed early.”

“Appologies your majesty, I-”

“It's not your fault Ferus. Did he say where he was going?”

He shook his head.

“Where is he most likely to have gone?”

“He was heading for the north gate, my best guess would be he's heading for Hullbeck, but the mountain passes are already almost impassible.”

“Wolfburn. He would have gone to Clara.”

“I'll send my fastest rider out immediately.”

She nodded. “Thank you Ferus.”

 

“Well that was the least fun boat trip I've ever been on.” 

David was still trying not to laugh at his sister's heeled boots almost pitching her in to the sea.

“When we leave we're going to the other port so I never have to get on one of those again,” she gestured in the direction of the fleet of small fishing boats which had been comandeered to float them across the sand bar infested estuary.

Close up, Penneth was quite charming. Overnight they had found some colourful bunting and hung it between the houses, the little flags fluttering happily in the sunshine. A large squat ship had followed them in to the harbour and workers were swarming around it like ants, catching ropes thrown overboard and shouting greetings to the workers onboard.

A few stocky, furry-footed horses were clicking their hooves against the boards, clearly eager to be doing some work, watching as their carts were filled with boxes and bags thrown over the side of the ship. The whole harbour was alive with shouts and greetings, the light clinking of metal on metal as the fishing vessels swayed from side to side in the moving tide, and the calls of sea birds wheeling over head, it was almost tranquil in its mania.

Their trunks were quickly evicted from the small boats and all loaded on to three slightly more rugged looking carriages, still lined with gold, but of slightly less frilly design, pulled by more refined, elegant horses than the ones on the docks, for which Devyn was almost disappointed; she thought the furry-footed stocky horses looked a lot more friendly than the severe black ones standing perfectly still in their reigns. 

Soon enough they had joined their trunks in the carriages and they were off on a gentle trot towards the massive iron gates and through in to the cool shadows of the ancient walls. Inside the manic din of the docks was muffled slightly and the sound of hooves and wheels on flag stones was the only thing which could be heard for 10 minutes as they made their way through the sleepy edges of the town. 

The centre, however, was a different story all together. Devyn was almost climbing out of the carriage window to watch the hundreds of merchants and civilians milling around the massive market at the heart of the of Penneth. The smooth gait of the carriages was disrupted time and time again by another horse, a foreign trader who didn't understand the rights of way, and on one occasion, a cart of brightly coloured fruits spilling over on to the road in front of them. The appologetic merchant offered them all a free sample as they got going again. 

David bit in to the strange red fruit with a raised eyebrow, somewhat surprised by the slightly bitter tang underneath the sweet, and turned to stare out of his own window, watchig the higgledy piggledy houses passing by, the bunting fluttering alongside early morning laundry hanging from window ledges and ropes strung between houses.

 

Within half an hour Pan had made it clear she was ready to go again and now they were flying across the countryside, hooves barely making a sound as they hit the compacted dirt that constituted the minor roads throughout the kingdom. So far they had seen only one other person, an elderly lady sitting by the side of a stream washing clothes who smiled and bade him a good morning as he stopped to let Pan drink and re-fill his own water bottle, but as the morning was drawing to a close a small hamlet was in sight.

A few farmers bringing in late crops greeted him as they followed him in to the village for their own lunches. In the centre of the circle of small thatched timber and mud brick houses was a squat hut with a happily smoking chimney and a scent of freshly baked bread that made his mouth water. He dismounted and tied Pan to a stake next to a stompy farm horse to stretch his legs and investigate the bread hut. 

He couldn't remember ever being here before; in all of the official trips around the kingdom, they never visited any place this small before and he thought that was rather a shame. The houses were painted in gradients of pink and red that looked like the sunset on a hot summer's day and the woman who emerged from the central hut was almost as pink as the houses.

“Good morning young man, you're rather far from civilisation.”

Daniel laughed, “I'm sure I've been less civilised places than this.”

“Can I temp you with some lunch? I might even have something for your lovely horse in here somewhere.”

“Lunch would be very welcome. I think Pan would thank you as well.”

She bustled off in to her slightly smoky hut and came out with a bowl of oats topped with chopped beetroots and apples, and a plate of bread topped with salted meats and butter for Daniel.

“Thank you,” he took a bite while she asked him what he was doing out in the middle of nowhere.

“I'm taking a message to Pinella. Official business from Lanacry.”

“Pinella? No one's mentioned that place for months, I think the last messenger through here was to announce there was to be an official visit from another kingdom.”

He nodded and swallowed. “Del'ark. They've arrived unexpectedly early, they will probably be at the castle before dusk if you have a very fast horse.”

“Oh, no, I've no interest in the affairs of the royals.”

“Really?”

“Why would I? They've no interest in us out here. We just take our wares to the market in Wolfburn and deal with our own problems.”

“But we're not even a day's ride from the castle.”

“You're not a day's ride from the castle boy, but I daresay you won't be getting the same speed from a royal convoy as you would from your lovely lady over there.”

“But surely if you needed something you would have someone who could fetch you help?”

She shook her head and pulled a flask of water from her apron pocket, taking a swig of it. “We manage, we've had no electricity since last winter, we just brought out the parrafin again, far more reliable and I'm sure it's better for you, something about the electricity just gives me the shivers.”

Daniel laughed, “I have a friend who says exactly the same thing, his tennants all have electric lighting, but he won't have it in his own house, says it wards off the spirits and invites evil.”

“There's a lad after my own heart, if only I were a few years younger.”

“I'll put in a good word for you when I get home, he hasn't picked up a lady yet so there's still hope.”

She laughed, took his empty plate and refilled his water bottle for him from the well he hadn't noticed earlier behind the hut, patted Pan on the neck and declared her work to be calling, and that she'd be waiting on an invitation to the capital from his friend, and he was on his way again.

He wished he'd brought a map with him, sure he knew the rough layout of the kingdom on a map, it wasn't that big after all, but he wasn't quite sure where he was right that second. He'd been going in roughly the direction of the southernmost outcrop of mountains all day, but now he was drawing level with the foot of the range and the cool wind was skating down the sheer faces and chilling him as he sat still, craning his neck up to peer at the snow-capped peak.

He was west of Lanacry by now, by quite a long way he reckoned judging by the size of the mountains in front of him; the peaks petered out the further west they went, until they ended in the barren wasteland which skirted around the north of the kingdom. He was suddenly somewhat unsure he was going to reach Pinella by nightfall, he was confident of the shape of the kingdom, but definitely not the distances in the parts he'd never covered before. 

He tapped Pan's sides to get her moving again and they picked up their pace as they skirted the cold mountain base.


	6. Chapter 6

“Well this is more like it,” Devyn peered out of the window as they passed the first small house, sillhouetted against the setting sun outside Lanacry. They had paused half a mile back at a rest station, which had turned out to be a trough and a tap by the side of the road, but the horses seemed to appreciate it, so that they could make the final journey in one go. 

The first house was dark inside, but the second was lit up with soft paraffin lamps, attracting the first few moths of the evening, and an old lady sat on the porch, knitting by the light. She waved as they went past, and Devyn waved back, wondering if it was a very un-royal thing to do as she did so. 

The further in they went, the brighter the houses became; they were all made of the same basic construction, mostly timber with a few mud bricks here and there and some ancient looking stone which may have been taken from an ancient wall or a previous castle hundreds of years ago, but they were all decorated with the same shaped coloured bunting they had seen at the port, although some of it looked as though it had been cut by children, and even the occasional chemically-coloured flickering flame from glass jars outside what she could only assume were apothaceries. 

They passed a particularly green one and she turned to ask David how it was done.

“Copper sulphate mixed with pure alcohol in small drops within the wax, that's why they flicker, as the wick burns down it suddenly finds a new source so there's a green burst, just like that.”

“Why don't we do this back home?”

For once, he didn't have an answer and they sat in silence, with the occasional “ooh”, mostly coming from Devyn as David wouldn't admit that he would ever make such a sound, even when the displays of chemical fires were sometimes beyond his knowledge and understanding. 

The parafin and candle light gave way to electrical lighting which became ever brighter as they reached the outer wall of the original city, guarded tonight by a pair of severe-looking men in their best uniform, pressed and bleached for the occasion, their buttons gleaming in the sparkles and flickers around them. Within the ancient walls was somehow even more colourful than outside, despite the houses being made of the same drab grey and black stone as the walls themselves. 

Standing on the steps of the castle when they reached it several minutes later, were the king and queen, resplendent in their best attire, the weaved gold thread catching the light as they moved and sparkling brilliantly, emphasising their presence against the mass of their subjects as they all crowded around, eager to get a good look at both their queen, and the visiting one. 

“Where is Daniel?” The king muttered in his wife's ear, smiling and keeping an eye on the approaching carriage. “He should be here to greet them.”

“I was hoping Ferus would have found him by now,” she hissed back through her teeth as she smiled herself and waved slowly to the gathering crowd. The small courtyard was full to bursting and some people had even somehow made their way up on to the ramparts and were peering over the edge, ignoring the protests of the guards who were trying to patrol. 

“What does Ferus have to do with it?” The carriage was slowing to a halt, its dark wood and equally dark horses standing out starkly against the mass of brightly coloured fabrics crowded in to the small space and silence fell as the butler went to open the door.

“Ferus said he went out last night and hasn't come back,” she laid her hand upon her husband's and they walked down the first step together, still smiling and trying to look as though they were discussing the assembled company instead of their missing prince. “I sent him out to find him this morning, I presumed he wouldn't have gone too far.”

“Where the hell did he go?”

“I have no idea, I presumed he had gone to Wolfburn, the innkeeper there, Clara, she's fond of him.”

“So he's run away?”

They had reached the bottom of the stairs and as tradition dictated they stood their ground, waiting as a boot-clad foot appeared from the carriage, and a bejeweled hand accepted the assistance the footman offered. 

“I don't know, possibly.”

“Well what-”

The queen squeezed his hand as hard as she could get away with without letting on what she was doing and her husband got the message and mercifully fell silent as they watched the tall and elegant queen of Del'ark unfurl herself from the small carriage and step down to join them.

There was a moment of silence as they appraised one another, Cassiopea admiring the bright silks against the other woman's dark skin, and the intricately shaped crown glittering in her hair, and her counterpart admiring the dark navy of her dress with its silver corseting and gold trim, the silver tiara in her red hair, and her husband's matching coloured military uniform, complete with gold epaulettes and sword hilt at his hip.

The queen of Del'ark's husband was almost as regal and just as tall, his dark head devoid of hair but his face boasted a kingly beard, carefully sculpted to accept his high cheekbones. 

“Your majesties,” the court's official announcer began, able to complete his proper duties after an exhausting couple of days running around the castle doing anything and everything anyone asked of him. “The king and queen of Del'ark, Sammeth and Penelope, and their children, the prince and princess of Del'ark, David and Davyn.”

He rolled his scroll up again and bowed, stepping backwards away from the royal couples as everyone turned to watch as the princess emerged from her carriage.

Cassiopea was holding her breath without meaning to, she had heard tales of Davyn's beauty, but she wasn't sure if she was holding the poor girl to some lofty standard that she could never hope to live up to, but she certainly hoped she was attractive enough to entice Daniel's attention.

Devyn Del'ark was every bit as stunning as her mother; her skin was a shade closer to her father's, a deep chestnut colour very rarely seen this far north, and her hair was as black as the night sky, sparkling with gems holding it up in an intricate pattern of swirls and waves. Her booted feet hit the ground and she turned to wait for her brother who was dressed in a somewhat less showy manner than the flowing colourful attire of his mother and sister, his simple tunic and trousers far closer to the intricately decorated ensemble of his father.

As they drew closer in Cassiopea could see the whole family favoured the central valley tradition of dark eye make up, the king less so, but David was wearing almost as much as his sister who was indeed as beautiful as the rumors made her out to be.

 

An indeterminite number of miles to the north west, Harris Lincoln was staring out of the Pinella barracks window at the storm raging in the far distance, wondering whether this one would ever reach them. Not that it was likely, very few of the storms made it this far, they all fizzled out several miles further east, barely out of the shadow of the mountain, making Pinella almost as barren and dusty as Astane on the other side of the wall he guarded.

“It's going to be another boring night I'm afraid,” he said to his wife as she handed him a bowl of stew from the cauldron over the fire. “No storm, no war, no bandits.”

“And no risk of you getting hurt either. Boring doesn't have to be bad.”

He smiled at her and accepted a thick slice of bread and butter to go with his stew. His wife was from Astane, although you would never tell these days, the only vestiges of her accent left were the slightly elongated vowels when she was angry, and she knew just how un-boring the pass had used to be, she had endured the raids and the killings and he knew he was never going to understand her loss. He had come years later, when Astane's money had run out and their enthusiasm for destruction had disappeared with the cash, now he was nothing more than a decorated guard dog, sometimes he wondered why he bothered.

They spoke of nothing of consequence for a few hours until the sun had vanished completely below the horizon and the sounds of the few villagers who still remained here slowly quetened to silence. Alice slipped away to bed with a kiss on his cheek and he promised to join her as soon as he had locked up for the night. 

It was a ritual of sorts, something he had done every night for the past 20 years; it began with locking the gates, pulling them together gently so the clang of metal on metal didn't disturb anyone's sleep, patting the rock on which the old guard dog had used to sleep and whispering a goodnight to him, wherever he was now, locking the front door, closing shutters and ended with him climbing in to bed with his wife of 19 years. 

Tonight he got as far as locking the front door and half the shutters.

As he leaned out to pull in the first of the upstars shutters, he looked out at the road as he did so every night, checking for stragglers he told himself, even though there were never any, but tonight there was one.

A figure of indeterminite age or gender was sitting astride a horse, facing the locked gate. The low light levels made it impossible to make out any features, but something about the shape of the animal and the way it held itself wasn't quite right. It wasn't a farmer, the horse was far too slender for farm work, and if it were a military horse its mane and tail would have been cut short or braided. 

He picked up the parafin lamp he had been carrying around the house and held it out of the window, trying to illuminate the figure below.

“Hey, gate's locked.”

The figure turned, his horse trotting the few steps in to the glow the light cast on to the dusty track.

“I presume it won't be open til morning?”

There was something about the young man that was familiar, the sort of familiarity that pokes and prods at your brain for eternity before someone tells you the answer, puts them in context and makes you want to punch yourself for not getting there yourself, but he just couldn't work out who he was and instead settled for and instruction to come stay where he was.

He closed the shutters and returned down the stairs, hoping the boy was still there when he opened the door. He was.

“You'll not be going through there tonight, first light tomorrow morning I'll be opening it again. You're welcome to stay the night here, bed and board is cheap and infinitely better than sleeping out there.”

Up close he could have a better look at the horse as he directed them around to the stables. It had no markings, no ear tags, no shoes which made him raise an eyebrow, but the saddle and harness were of incredible quality and craftsmanship and eventually he decided the young man was a wealthy merchant. Which still didn't explain why he was out here.

Once inside again, with his evening ritual complete, Harris sat down in an armchair opposite the young man and offered him a bowl of stew still sitting in the dying embers of the fire.

“How do you come to be out here? Bit of a strange route to take for trading.”

Daniel took the stew thankfully and ate a mouthful while he considered the question, deciding that if the guard thought he was a trader he'd go with that.

“The tariffs are getting higher and higher every year on luxury goods going through the border on the coastal road, I thought I might cheat the system a bit, find another way through without the crowds or bites out of my profits.

Daniel,” he offered his hand which Harris took and gave his own name in return as well as some advice;

“There's technically a war still going between Naporia and Astane, you'll want to get yourself as far from the border as possible as quickly as possible. If I were you, the moment you're through that gate, turn right, follow the wall until you reach the mountains and follow them until you get to Hullbeck.

I'll warn you thought, if the bandits get hold of you, the tarrif might be a fair bit higher than the official one on anything you're carrying.”

“Good thing I'm not carrying anything then isn't it,” Daniel said with a grin, accepting a roughly cut piece of bread to soak up the remainder of his stew with.

With a hot meal inside him and somewhere untouched by cold mountain air, he suddenly found himself drifting off where he sat, and accepted the assistance to a dark room with a surprisingly soft bed and was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.

 

“Ferus sent me a hawk,” Cassiopea slid back in to the ballroom and smiled her way back in to her husband's arms.

“And?”

“Daniel was indeed in Wolfburn, he told Clara he was on official business and left first thing in the morning, one of the merchants said he was warned off the mountain paths and towards Peltragow.”

“So he's gone to Peltragow?”

“He's gone to Peltragow and sent a hawk to the mining settlement at the base of the mountain pass to check he hasn't gone there.” She looked worried.

“Surely they can't be that bad already? Winter's barely here.”

“Apparently they're bad, almost impassible. A lot of the farmers are saying winter has come early and we'll have a night frost within the next few days.”

“So if he doesn't get back here quickly,” he trailed off, fully aware that the pair knew the ramifications of not being within the vicinity of the castle when the snow came.

Despite the last minute surprise, the kitchens had coped remarkably well; the feast had been a success and the nibbles slowly circulating around the ballroom equally so. An appology had been made on behalf of Daniel's absence, the official line was that he had gone away to see to a diplomatic dispute in the neighbouring country and that a hawk had been sent out to summon him back at his earliest convenience upon the knowledge of their early arrival.

She couldn't help but notice Devyn's releaved slump in to her chair before she regained herself and wondered if they were doing the right thing.


End file.
